Feature Friday: Leftovers Foundation
Let me tell you all how I met Lourdes Juan, the AMAZING woman behind Leftovers Foundation, Soma Spa, LMJ Consultants AND Moonlight Market. (Impressive resume, hey? You should meet her in person. She will inspire your socks off!) Here's how we met: I was working at Phil & Sebastien Coffee. She sits down next to me and places her phone on the counter. I look over and start talking with her about her iPhone 6. (I was researching whether to get an iPhone 6 and looking for a testimonial.) A few minutes later I noticed she was wearing this killer dress, which she told me came from Nordstrom. We talked about spin, running and whole bunch of other stuff. We met up for coffee a little while after. The rest is history! No matter what Lourdes does or where she goes, she is always an inspiring, positive presence. Read on to find out more about Leftover Foundation and how they are helping reduce food waste in Calgary.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and your work. Where are you from? What do you do?
In no particular order, I am the Founder of Leftovers Foundation, Director of LMJ Consultants, CEO of Soma Spas, and Co-Founder of Moonlight Market.
What inspires you to do what you do? How did you start doing this work?
I started back in 2012 picking up from a local bakery, I was shocked to donate about 150 lbs of bread to the Calgary Drop-In Centre where they serve 3000 meals a day. Seeing the sheer amount of food that was going to waste, if no one picked it up, got me thinking! What happens to food at other locations? At other bakeries, grocery stores and cafes? I started doing my research and it led me to a lot of insight into food waste and what a global issue it is. I love what we do because we make such an impact on the issue and with the community.
What inspires you most about your community (city, group of friends, etc.)?
The organization is volunteer powered and it always amazes me to see people who are fully engaged with Leftovers Foundation to volunteer their time religiously every single week. The volunteers inspire me to keep going and grow the organization.
If you could give anyone who is starting out in your field (business, non-profit, etc.) one piece of advice, what would it be?
Do something that has impact. Find a cause that resonates with you and be original with your execution and problem solving.
Tell me three fun facts about yourself or your organization.
- Many of our volunteers are parents and they are able to bring their kids along volunteering during the day.
- We interviewed six-year-olds at a school to teach them about food waste diversion. The best response we received when asked why we shouldn’t waste our food was: “If you waste your food, you are wasting 40% of your health, that’s 55% of your life!”
Get in Touch
Be sure to check out the website, give them a follow on social and get involved with this incredible organization!
Website: www.rescuefood.ca
Facebook: Leftovers
Twitter: @leftoversyyc
Instagram: @leftoverscalgary
Do you know of a person, business, non-profit or other organization doing amazing work in Calgary? Tell me about it! Visit the Feature Friday page for more information!
